


Blood Red Gaze

by glitchedfoxx



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, green is dad friend, the red x blue is only hinted at
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 11:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21812251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitchedfoxx/pseuds/glitchedfoxx
Summary: VIo can't help the feeling that he's being watched, and it's starting to make him feel like he's going a little crazy. Maybe he really should have just stayed home.
Relationships: Blue Link/Red Link, Shadow Link/Vio Link
Comments: 6
Kudos: 50





	1. Arcade

Now his own personal preference on how to spend a Friday afternoon off work is to relax on the couch and enjoy a nice cup of tea and a book, but his loud and rowdy roommates thought differently. “No man left behind,” as they say. With each pounding of his head at the sound of the other three in the car yelling and bickering amongst one another, Vio was starting to wish the saying went “It’s okay to sometimes leave a man behind,” but the others insisted he spend his evening out with them instead.

Green let out a loud groan as he readjusted his grip on the steering wheel-- trying to hold back the urge to turn around and slap someone in the back seat, Vio presumed.

“Can you two stop being so  _ goddamn _ loud while I’m trying to drive? It’s not that long of a ride,” the boy behind the wheel requested through gritted teeth. A small chortle found its way past Vio’s lips, crossing his arms over his chest and sinking further into the passenger side seat. 

“Good luck with that, if they’re not fighting they’re announcing to the world how much they  _ adore _ each other,” he retorted quietly under his breath, only allowing his voice to project to his friend who was seated beside him. To the surprise of both boys in the front of the car, however, the noise drifting up from the back seat deafened almost completely. This raised suspicions, and to investigate those suspicions, Vio turned around in his chair and glanced into the back seat of the car. He was presented with the amusing sight of Red’s hand planted firmly over Blue’s mouth, the latter of which looking less than amused. Their observer raised an eyebrow.

“Green told us to be quiet, so I’m making him be quiet,” Red explained, giving his friend a smile. “I want all of us to have a good time, and he sounded like he wasn’t having a very good time.”

The silence turned out to be very short lived, though, because the moment Red’s attention was more focused on the boy sitting in front of him, Blue took the liberty of sinking his teeth into the palm of his assailant, eliciting an ear piercing cry from the smaller boy. Another chuckle forced its way out of Vio as he watched the other boy’s face contort from a radiating smile to that of pain, his hand cradled in the other as he let out another whine. His companion joined Vio in laughter, though it was just as short lived as the silence. The car and everyone within it lurched forward as it came to an abrupt halt, Vio all but falling backwards out of his seat.

“We’re here,” Green announced, a small smirk playing at his lips with the success of his ploy to quiet everyone down. Red let out a loud gasp of excitement as he made it a point to be the first one out of the car. Blue followed closely behind him, refusing to let Red get a head start on their never-ending competition for anything and everything. The other two weren’t as enthusiastic with their exit from the vehicle, Vio stepping out into the twilight air and taking in a deep breath.

The sun was just below the horizon, leaving just enough light to see without artificial lighting, but stayed hidden away behind the busy streets and tall buildings of the cityscape. Though he found comfort in finally being out of the car and in the open air without a single sound from Red or Blue within earshot, Vio was soon overcome with a strong uneasy feeling. He couldn’t quite place the source, but it was strong enough to make his blood run cold and his stomach to do a somersault within his gut. His scalp itched as each hair stood on end, a burning feeling of eyes on him replacing any remanence of relief he felt upon exiting the car.

A car door slammed behind him and a hand found residence on his shoulder, bringing the boy out of his trance. He whipped his head around to meet the soft green eyes of his friend, evidence of a paternal concern in the creases of his brow.

“You feeling okay, Vio? You’re looking kind of pale,” Green prodded gently, his voice quiet in stark contrast to the constant drone of city traffic.

“Y-Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” Vio assured, taking a moment to find his voice again. Emeralds continued to bore into his temples, not letting up that easily.

“If you need, I can take you back home, I just thought it’d be nice to include you.”

Vio pondered the thought briefly, though any temptation to request a ride back home was fleeting. As much as he wanted to be home, he was already there, and it couldn’t hurt to spend one night out with his friends for once.

“No, there’s no need. I told you, I’m fine,” Vio insisted, flashing the other boy a grin to punctuate his statement. Green continued to eye him for a moment, then let out a breath he seemed to be holding and dropped his hand from the other boy’s shoulder.

“The offer still stands if you change your mind, just know that,” he stated simply before heading towards the door. Vio followed behind him, and just before crossing the threshold, he could have sworn he saw a pair of striking deep red eyes staring back at him from the dimly lit parking lot, then moments later it was gone. Inside, his feet met plush, multicolored carpet, various geometric shapes and designs spanning across the whole floor in bright technicolor hues with as much contrast between each other as the four boys themselves. He stayed on Green’s heel as they made their way into the arcade lobby, Blue and Red already waiting by the counter for them. The piercing sapphire eyes of their friend locked onto them, not quite focusing on either one but rather them as a pair.

“Took you guys long enough,” he commented bluntly, his voice just a tiny bit gruff in comparison to the other boys, despite them all sounding pretty similar. Vio returned the glare, but Green spoke up before he had the chance to first.

“We got a little distracted, sorry,” the head of the group offered in apology. He fished his wallet from his pants pocket, preparing to take money from it as he gave both boys a smile-- Red being the only one to return it. Once the admission fee was paid and all four boys given the pass to enter the arcade, Red and Blue were quick to spring into action just as they were to get out of the car.

“C’mon Red, bet I can kick your ass at Skee-ball,” Blue taunted, giving the one in question a devious grin and gently punching his shoulder before taking off into the game room. Red laughed as he followed behind his companion, shouting protests and taunts of his own. As Vio approached the doorway leading into the game room his eyes were met with an assault of LED lights in many shades of blues and reds and greens all melting together to paint a rainbow of color across the darkened room, leaving the atmosphere feeling comforting and inviting. Accompanying the lights were a chorus of electronic beeps and cute little 8-bit jingles, the sounds of balls beating against carpeted surfaces and hard walls as they were thrown around being the drums of the arcade symphony. It became immediately apparent to Vio why the other three found so much enjoyment in this place.

“Where do you want to go first?” Green spoke up from behind him, giving the boy a smile once he caught his gaze. “We could play a side-scroller, a first person shooter, a racing game, there’s prize games in there, too.”

“Shooter game sounds fun,” Vio offered, returning the smile. His friend answered with a nod and made his way past the brightly lit border of the lobby into the darkness of the game room. He lead Vio in and out of aisles and aisles of machine after machine lined up in a nearly maze-like fashion. Had he not been accompanied by an experienced veteran of finding his way in and out of the machines Vio can say with confidence that he’d probably have gotten lost in there. Green brought him to a line of machines with wide rectangular screens, each one adorning two plastic guns attached by a wire. Some of the screens displayed more cheerful color palettes than others, a couple looking dreary and war-like. Vio found himself being drawn to one in particular, picking up the gun controller and trying it on for size.

“Wanna play this one?” Green questioned, picking up the second gun with one hand and brandishing a couple quarters in his other. “I’m not too familiar with this one, so you might have a chance against me.”

“Is that… is that a taunt I hear, Green? Are you taunting me? Confident, are we?”

“And so what if I am, Vio? Do you think you could beat me?”

A grin tugged at the corners of Vio’s lips.

“Any day.”

The first round went a little less smoothly than Vio had hoped. His aim wasn’t perfect, not even close. In his struggle to get a grasp of the controls, Green very easily took the lead and kept it consistently throughout the whole round. Both boys were stubborn, however, and soon one round became two, then three, then five. It was only when Green rationed that they should save their money for playing other games, too, did they put down their weapons.

“I’ll get you next time,” Vio hummed with a challenging smirk playing at his lips. Green returned the look.

“Does that mean you’ll be coming here with us more often, then?”

“I suppose so,” Vio answered. His friend then nudged his shoulder gently and took off in another direction with words of wanting to find something else to play. Vio lagged behind, the overwhelming feeling of being watched coursing through his veins again and causing him to stop cold in his tracks. His skin tingled as each hair across his neck and forearms stood straight up again. He whipped his head around to look behind him, but all he was met with was the flashing lights of idle animations playing on each machine’s screen that was desperately waiting for another player to deposit his coins and start playing. No one was there. Maybe Vio was just being overly paranoid because it was an unfamiliar place and it was dark. Anything could be hiding in the dark, after all.

“Vio? You coming?” Green called from a few feet away, pulling Vio back to reality and urging him to start moving again.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“You alright, man?” the other boy prodded again when Vio had returned to his side. “You’re acting a little funky.”

“I’m fine,” Vio responded instinctively. His sight locked onto emerald staring back at him, unconvinced. The boy let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I don’t know, dude, I kinda feel like someone’s watching me, y’know? Like, I get this really uneasy feeling, but when I turn around there’s nothing there.” 

“Now that’s a little better, I appreciate the honesty,” Green responded with a soft hum. He fell silent for a moment, his gaze falling to the floor rather than on Vio, knuckle pressed to his chin as he thought. When his line of sight was back on his friend, his brows were knit together and his eyes almost looked a bit sad. “That doesn’t sound good, maybe this is my fault for taking you out here, I know you would’ve preferred to stay home. I can still take you back if you want me to, you don’t have to force yourself to stay for us.”

“What?” Vio answered abruptly, his voice coming out louder than he intended and drawing a flinch from his friend. “Green, no, it’s okay. I’m probably just being paranoid, let’s go find another machine to play at.”

Though he still had protests, Green had no choice but to comply when Vio took it upon himself to walk away. His eyes scanned every machine he passed as he kept walking, catching a glimpse of Red and Blue in another part of the arcade, having since moved on from skee-ball to play some racing games together. Vio’s eyes landed on a row of crane machines in the center of an open space in the arcade, games requiring more space to move around hugging the walls and creating a circle in the room. He made a beeline for one of the crane machines. It was quite a childish thing to find enjoyment in, but there was no harm in trying one at least once, even if just for the hell of it. 

“A crane machine?” Green asked incredulously when he caught up to the other. Vio shot him a look briefly before holding out his hand.

“Give me a quarter I want to see if I can snag anything.”

Green pursed his lips, seemingly withholding comments he wanted to make as he placed the coin in Vio’s open palm. The game started up with a muted jingle, the speakers on the machine clearly worn out with age. None of the plush dolls inside the machine looked particularly interesting to the boy behind the controls, but he still honed in on one regardless. To his surprise, despite stereotypes of crane machines being hard to win, Vio was able to snag one on his first try. It wasn’t the one he was aiming for, but a prize is a prize. He pulled the toy out of the prize compartment and examined it, turning the doll over in his hands. The colors weren’t very bright, and the fabric felt matted and worn despite being new. In place of eyes were buttons rather than the beads most toys used, and there was visible stitching poking out from the seams.

“Looks kinda…” Green started.

“Sad?” Vio interjected.

“I guess, I was going to say ‘unique’.”

“Green!!” a voice called out from across the room, followed by the pattering sound of feet running across the carpeted floor. Red approached the pair with his usual enthusiasm that he tackled everything in life with, panting softly as he came to a halt. Vio caught sight of Blue standing idly a few feet away, observing the trio beside the machine he was just playing at moments before. Green peeled his eyes away from the toy that Vio had just won to meet Red’s, giving him a smile that mirrored the radiance the crimson-clad boy always carried with him.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Blue and I ran out of quarters, do you have any more?” 

Green nodded then dug around in his pocket for the quarters that he hoped were there. His hand lingered for a moment too long before he hissed a muted  _ shit  _ under his breath, earning a look of concern and confusion from Red.

“This is all I have left,” Green explained before anyone had the chance to get the question out. He opened his hand out to the other two to show the miniscule pile of three coins sitting in his outstretched palm. Disappointment washed over Red’s face as he turned in place to beckon the missing member of their group.

“We could play maybe one or two games before we’ll have to go,” Green reasoned, his eyes darting over the other three pairs that were on him. Vio hummed for a moment before taking a step away from the other three, drawing all eyes to him.

“I’ll go wait out in the car for you guys, I don’t want to stand in the way of your last games,” he offered, though even if the others didn’t agree to the plan he left them with no room to protest as he started to make his way out of the game room. The warmth of the LED lights seemed to cool down into a cold, unforgiving atmosphere the more he weaved in and out of the rows of arcade machines. The blues seemed to overpower the greens and reds, making the already dimly lit room seem darker and icy the closer he got to the front desk. The same uneasy feeling set over him once more, this time urging him to pick up the pace as he made his way to the door. He was washed in a blanket of darkness once he stepped outside into the parking lot, the sun long having disappeared over the horizon since they entered the building. The air bit at his cheeks like pins and needles being repeatedly jabbed into his flesh, just enough to be annoying but not enough to break the skin. The presence of eyes on him became stronger than before as he strode towards their car.

He stopped moments before reaching out to open the passenger side door, the feeling getting overwhelming. He whipped around expecting to be met with nothing once again, but stumbled backwards into the side of the car when his eyes met those of a stranger. Vio opened his mouth to say something, scream maybe, before he was cut off by the stranger raising his finger to his lips in shushing motion.

“Don’t make a sound and I’ll let you go without a scratch,” he assured, though it worked to all but ease Vio’s nerves. The boy eyed the stranger, glaring at him in the process. The lamps illuminating the parking lot were all he had to help him see the other boy. He blended into his surroundings very well, clad in all black outside a small hint of a white shirt peeking through the collar of his jacket. Pale skin showed itself through ripped jeans and untied laces dangled from the boots that seemed to be just a little too big for the feet wearing them. Framing a sunken in and skeletal face were locks of dark hair that looked a little too off to be black. Upon closer examination, Vio saw that the hair was a shade of deep purple fading into black as it got closer to the roots, and despite the lines digging into corners of the stranger’s lips and underneath his eyes, he appeared to be quite young, perhaps around the same age as himself.

He gave the stranger a small nod despite a voice in the back of his mind screaming at him that this has bad news written all over it. This seemed to please the other boy in front of him.

“Vio, that’s what your friends call you, right? You’re not the same as them, are you?” he asked, though his tone gave the impression that he already knew the answer to his question. Vio furrowed his brows.

“How do you know that? What do you want?”

The stranger retaliated by kicking Vio in the shin and stepping closer to him to loom over him, forcing him backwards against the side of the car. The cold metal sent a chill up his spine as the pain shooting up his leg elicited a hiss to squeeze out between clenched teeth.

“I told you not to make a sound didn’t I?”

Vio looked up to make eye contact with the stranger, anger and annoyance boiling up from the bottom of his chest and taking residence under his cheeks and behind his eyes. The deep red of the stranger’s eyes sparked familiarity in him. After a pause of silence, the stranger continued with confidence that Vio would stay quiet.

“I’m here to strike a deal with you, but we can’t talk about it here. The boss says you could be useful.”

He didn’t continue talking after that, slipping a piece of paper between Vio’s fingers then fleeing, his figure disappearing into the darkness of the night like a shadow. Vio sat there stunned for a moment, unmoving and suddenly hyper aware of the bitter cold of the night air. He took a look at the paper the stranger left him with, the only tangible evidence that he was even real left behind. Across the parchment was a hastily scribbled set of characters-- a phone number. Nothing more.


	2. The Talk

Vio settled down in the passenger seat of the car, the slip of paper the mysterious boy handed him clutched between his fingers, the doll he had won in the crane machine moments before gripped tightly in his other hand. He stared at the pair of items for a brief moment as the car lights faded away and turned off, catching him into a blanket of darkness again. The boy slipped his phone out of his pants pocket, squinting at the bright light of the screen as he unlocked it. Typing out the number scribbled on the worn paper, his finger lingered over the “add new contact” button briefly. The car door on the driver’s side opened, bathing Vio in the light again. In one quick motion, he hit the button, then slipped his phone and the paper into his pocket.

When he lifted his head, he was met with a bottle being held out towards him, the smiling face of Green on the other end of the outstretched arm.

“I know you would’ve preferred to stay home, so to make up for it I got you an iced tea from the refreshments bar.”

“Green, you didn’t have to, you’re short on money already,” Vio mumbled as he took the beverage from his friend’s hand. Green just shrugged and settled down behind the wheel. There was a symphony of clicking as all four boys buckled themselves in unsynchronization. The ride back to their flat was significantly quieter than the ride there, the darkness of the night time city streets bathing the boys in tranquility. Vio snuck a glance into the back seat, catching sight of Red resting his head against Blue’s shoulder, eyes closed and seemingly fast asleep, Blue unbothered and keeping himself occupied on his phone. A small smile tugged at the corners of Vio’s lips at the sight as he turned back around in his chair.

Green soon pulled into the driveway of their apartment complex, turning the car off and getting out. Vio lingered for a moment, but soon got out himself. Blue lifted a half-conscious Red onto his back and started carrying him piggyback style up the stairs to their flat, Green staying behind for Vio.

“You still feeling uneasy?” he checked in, his voice matching the calm atmosphere that had taken over the air. Vio shook his head.

“I’ve felt fine since I got in the car.”

“That’s good,” Green hummed with a smile, then turned to head upstairs behind the other two. Vio paused for a moment before heading upstairs, turning his head to look behind him. He was met with nothing but the darkness of the apartment complex parking lot, surrounded on all sides by foliage and fencing. No red eyes peering out at him from the shadows, no tingling feeling tickling his hair follicles all across his scalp and arms. The boy breathed a sigh of relief and made his way back up the stairs to their shared flat.

He settled in his room, laying down flat on his back, not even bothering to turn on his bedside lamp. His eyes locked onto the ceiling of his bedroom, small streams of light coming in through the window from the street lamps outside and providing just enough illuminance to keep the room from being completely pitch black. He lifted the toy he got from the crane machine up to his line of sight, examining the decrepit thing. It seemed disheveled and stressed out despite being an inanimate object with no sentience. It reminded him of the stranger he met in the arcade parking lot in some odd way, the youth of the object contrasting the tired look in it’s button eyes. Vio knit his brows together, studying the toy through squinted eyes before letting his hand drop to his side again.

A voice was telling him to investigate the phone number he was given again, and he listened, pulling out his phone and squinting again at the light. The number was in his contacts list, but no name had been assigned to it. The boy who-- Vio assumed-- the number belonged to was very cryptic in his nature, a memory of the boy seemingly melting back into the shadows from whence he came as once their very brief conversation was over crossed Vio’s mind momentarily before he decided to assign the name “The Shadow Boy” to the number. He then sent a text to the Shadow Boy. 

_ “Do you want to explain to me what the fuck kind of shady business you’re up to and what the hell it has to do with me?” _ his text read. The response to the text came almost uncharacteristically fast for anyone Vio knew, as if the recipient knew the message was coming.

_ “The answers to your questions will come to you in due time, my dear Violet!” _ the response read, oozing in a cockiness that contradicted the tone that the Shadow Boy had when talking to him earlier. He seemed almost as if he was playing some stupid game with him over text.  _ What the hell was up with this freak? _ Vio furrowed his eyebrows, the corners of his lips turning downward in a grimace. Before he had the chance to type anything in response, possibly chew this kid out if given the opportunity, another message popped up on Vio’s phone with a location and a simple “ _ meet me _ .” 

Clicking on the hyperlink, Vio’s phone took him to the location on the map. It unnerved him a little bit once the pin showed up on the little map displayed on his phone screen-- it was walking distance from his apartment. Did this Shadow Boy know where he lived? How much did he know about him? The thought to report him to the police crossed Vio’s mind, though a gut feeling told him that he shouldn’t. He didn’t know what to think anymore. Before he could stop himself, though, Vio was already slipping a switchblade into the pocket of his jeans just in case and was headed towards the front door. The boy hesitated as he entered the hallway, glancing towards the other doors lining the corridor. A soft light shown from the crack beneath one of them, the soft drone of running water beating against the shower walls muffled from inside the room. Another, Blue and Red’s shared bedroom, was cast in darkness underneath. Red was probably sound asleep on the other side of the door, Blue most likely keeping him company.

Vio padded quietly out into the living room. A single lamp was left on in the room, but no one currently inhabited the space. A sigh escaped from Vio’s lips, relief that no one would be able to stop him to ask questions washing over him. He made his way to the front door, slipping his boots back on and grabbing the door keys before sneaking out the door, trying to be as quiet as possible.

A shiver ran down his spine once the cold night air brushed against his cheeks, thoughts of  _ are you fucking crazy, dude?  _ and  _ you can’t seriously be meeting this guy  _ crossing his mind. His fingers brushed subconsciously against the fabric of his jeans, feeling for the knife that was still concealed within his pocket.  _ You’re definitely insane _ . He started walking again, heading down the stairs and out into the night. He shivered again once he reached the parking lot, beginning to regret not taking a jacket with him when he left. He hugged his arms around his chest and pushed onward. If he went back now, there’s no telling if he could sneak back out again undetected.

The clouds moved in and out of the path of the moon’s light as he walked, occasionally bathing Vio in complete darkness as he walked along the side of roads less traveled. The location Shadow Boy had given him was just around the trees that lined the borders of what was legally part of the apartment complex, at an old building that was once occupied years ago but had since been abandoned due to funding issues among the company that once owned the place. It felt odd to be visiting an abandoned building in the middle of the night. No, that’s not it, “odd” wasn’t the word Vio would put to the feeling.

“This is wrong,” Vio said out loud as he stopped dead in his tracks. “I should turn back--”

Vio was cut off by a low whistle, the noise sounding way too human to just be the wind.

“Man, and I was starting to think you’d just leave me waiting forever.”

Vio looked up to meet the same crimson eyes he had seen earlier that night. A dirty look crossed Vio’s face as the Shadow Boy walked towards him. His gate seemed off, like he was walking on air rather than on the asphalt of a long-since unused parking lot. Everything about this kid seemed… off.

“I’m proud of you, Vio, you made the right choice.”

“I’m having a hard time believing that’s truly the case,” Vio retorted, his hand instinctively going towards his pocket and resting on top of the knife. The other boy raised an eyebrow, a twisted grin pulling at the corners of his lips.

“I see, so it’ll take me some time to gain your trust.”

“You think? You’ve done nothing but set off every red flag possible, give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call the cops right now and report you for harassment.”

“Because I have an offer to make,” the Shadow Boy hummed in response, his expression unphased by the threat. Vio glared at the boy, holding his ground. The other just licked his lips then continued talking.

“Are you familiar with the story of Hyrule’s past?” he posed Vio with a question that caught the blond off guard.

“Yeah, I guess,” he answered hesitantly. In truth, Vio was very familiar with it, having spent a lot of his free time studying it extensively when he found himself with a moment of spare time during his schooling. Though most kids were only required to know the basics in order to get a passing grade, Vio dug deeper and learned anything he could.

“Then you know about the Heroes of Hyrule’s past then? And the legend that comes along with them?”

“What does this have to do with this supposed ‘offer’?” Vio interrupted, his patience with the stranger running thin.

“You’re a descendant of them, you have the Hero’s blood running through your veins,” the shadow stated bluntly, cutting to the chase. Vio felt his blood run cold. Many questions started cross his mind at lightning speed, each new one deafening the next until they resurfaced again just as loud. How did this kid know that? Vio knew he had native Hylian blood, at least a little bit, but not even he knew himself that he was a descendant of the Heroes. Was this kid just spouting bullshit? What if there’s truth to his words, though? What then, what did he want with the descendants of the ancient Heroes? Could the old legends be coming true again? Was the rise of Ganon inevitable? It hadn’t happened for millennia, any artifactual evidence of the legends being true nowhere to be seen. Vio’s heart began to pound loudly against his eardrums, cold sweat running down his back and gathering on his palms. He slipped his hand into his pocket and gripped at the handle of the knife.

“What do you want with me?” he interrogated the dark haired boy in front of him, swallowing down the anxiety that threatened to bubble up from his throat and take residence in his voice.

“I want your help.”

Vio gave the boy an incredulous look, prompting him to explain further.

“Your friends are descendants of the Heroes, too, y’know. The three himbos you hang out with. You’re different from them, though. You’re smart. I trust you’ll have good judgement.”

“My friends aren’t dumb,” Vio defended, his scowl deepening. The shadow just smiled at him.

“If you say so. They’re not as suited for the job I’m about to offer you, though.”

“I don’t think I want to be working for the likes of you.”

“It’ll pay much better than the dead end job you’re working day to day with barely any breaks between just to make ends meet. We can help you, we can give you enough money to pay off your tuition even. I know how  _ tirelessly _ you’re working to achieve your dreams.”

Vio hesitated. It was clear by now that this kid knew a lot more about him than he had initially hypothesized. There were alarm bells ringing in Vio’s head to leave, call for help, report this guy to the police. Something other than just stand there idiotically while this freak was trying to wrap him around his stupid little finger, staring him down like a predator stalking prey. The boy seemed to move without Vio noticing, now standing beside him and leaning in close to his ear.

“Think about it, Vio, you could have more time to yourself without having to work so hard,” he whispered into his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. In the blink of an eye, he was on the other side, pouring manipulative words into his other ear. “You could achieve your dreams of making great discoveries, the world would recognize your genius.”

He returned to the other side.

“All you have to do is agree to join us.”

As quickly as he had moved from his spot, the Shadow Boy had returned to standing in front of Vio once more, hand outstretched and expectant.

“What do you say?”

“What if I choose to decline?” Vio challenged, holding his expression firm and tightening his grip on the knife’s handle. A twisted grin played on the other boy’s lips again, his eyes seemed to reflect the moon’s light in an unnatural way and his pupils shrunk to meer slits of their former selves.

“Well, in that case, we’d have to make your life as miserable as possible, my dear Hero.”

Vio opened his mouth to formulate a response, but his words fell short of his lips when he heard his phone go off, the ringtone blaring and breaking through the quiet of the night that surrounded the pair. Vio flinched, then looked towards the other boy, whose smile fell from his face. The stranger pursed his lips and crossed his arms over his chest, then nodded towards where the sound was emanating.

“Go ahead, answer it.”

Vio fumbled as he let go of the knife and fished his phone from his pocket. The caller ID boldly displayed Green’s name and contact photo, causing a rush of anxiety to wash over Vio’s body. He glanced at the other boy momentarily before picking up and putting the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“ _ Vio, where the hell are you? _ ” Green’s voice came out from the phone’s speaker, sounding panicked and angry. Vio swallowed a lump that started to build up in his throat, pushing down the guilt forming knots in his stomach from leaving in the middle of the night without a word. He heard a stifled snicker from the boy standing in front of him, and the scowl pulled at his features again.

“Sorry, I-I… I wanted some fresh air, so I decided to go for a walk.”

There was a moment of silence on the phone line, then the barely audible sound of Green sighing on the other end. Vio swallowed hard.

“ _ C’mon man, you know I can tell when you’re lying. _ ”

“I’ll be home soon, don’t worry.”

Without waiting for a response, Vio hung up the phone, heaving a heavy sigh after the beep signaled the end of the call. Green was never going to let him hear the end of it after that.

“I’ll let you think about it,” the Shadow Boy spoke through the silence that had befallen the pair. He backed up from Vio, taking a couple steps before turning his back to the blond. Vio didn’t get to watch him for more than a few feet’s worth before the boy disappeared into the darkness again. This time, Vio knew for sure he wasn’t seeing things. The boy really just disappeared, no traces left behind of him ever existing in that spot.

“I better head back,” Vio mumbled to himself, reaching for any sort of distraction from trying to rationalize why the boy who had been standing there moments before just disappeared into nothingness. He turned on his heel and started heading back in the direction he came, hands buried deep in his pockets and shoulders hugging close to his neck.

He was met with the human incarnation of a hurricane’s wrath when he walked through the front door of his apartment.

“Vio! Why’d you hang up on me, dude?” Green all but yelled in his face once he stepped foot inside. Before being given the chance to defend himself, Green was scolding him more. “You went out without a jacket in the dead of night?”

Vio shut the door behind him and kicked his boots off without making eye contact with his friend, the knot of guilt that had formed in his stomach earlier bubbling up to the surface again.

“I forgot it,” he muttered, keeping his voice quiet in fear of humiliating himself more. Green took a step closer to him, then let his shoulders relax.

“Vio, are you doing okay? You’ve been acting all sorts of weird all night.”

A hand found residence of Vio’s cheek, warm against his chilled skin and still retaining some moisture from the shower Green had been taking. Vio turned his head slightly to meet Green’s eyes, then pushed his arm aside and made way towards their shared bedroom.

“I’m fine,” he answered monotonously. He heard the padding of footsteps behind him as he approached their room, Green following close behind him. The other boy didn’t bother prodding more as Vio got undressed and settled back into his bed like he had been before. Minutes passed in silence as Vio lay with his back turned towards the room. He heard the quiet shuffling noises of Green moving around the room, drying his hair the rest of the way and getting properly dressed for bed. When the shuffling stopped, Vio felt the nagging sensation of eyes on him. He turned his head a little to catch a glimpse of Green staring at him from across the room, concern buried deep in the creases of his brow. The boy made his way over to Vio’s bed, and Vio felt the weight of the mattress shift as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. Vio turned his head back towards the wall, tearing his gaze away from the other boy.

“Do you remember that one time in elementary school,” Green spoke up in a hushed tone. “It was just a little while after we had met, the four of us were on the playground hiding underneath the slide. We made that promise to each other that no matter what, we would stick together and stay by each other’s sides. We always helped each other no matter how minuscule and insignificant the problem.”

Green cut himself off for a moment, watching Vio’s unmoving form in expectancy, hoping to elicit a response from the other boy. He was met with silence.

“I just… wanted you to remember that we’re here for you, man. This isn’t like you to be so insistent on keeping quiet about what’s bothering you.”

The weight on the mattress shifted again as Green stood up again.

“Goodnight,” he muttered as he turned off the lamp, leaving the room and Vio bathed in darkness again.


End file.
